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Not even a week into his presidency, US President Donald Trump played his promised tariff card to navigate a complex diplomatic curve and drill home his 'America first' policy. However, the subject of his ire wasn't China, Mexico, or Canada-- his frequent targets-- but Colombia, one of the United State's closest allies in South America.
Colombia came into Mr Trump's line of fire after it refused to allow the landing of two American fights carrying deported migrants from the US because the planes carrying them were military, not civilian. South American nation's leftist president, Gustavo Petro said he would only take back citizens "with dignity," such as on civilian planes, turning back two US military aircraft.
This was trigger enough for the US President to drop the hammer and make an example of Colombia. He responded by threatening sanctions of 25 per cent that would quickly scale up to 50 per cent against Latin America's fourth-largest economy. On top of the economic measures, Mr Trump said the US would introduce a travel ban and "immediate visa revocations" on Colombian government officials, as well as its allies and supporters.
Mr Petro initially sought to hit back and impose his own tariffs on US products, but by the end of the volatile Sunday, he had backed down. Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo told a late-night news conference that his country had "overcome the impasse" and would accept returned citizens.
Trump's Message To World
Since being back in office, Mr Trump has been seen prioritising a crackdown on immigration over trade measures-- one of his key campaign promises. But, by announcing his first major tariff threat, Mr Trump seems to be cautioning his allies and adversaries alike that if they don't cooperate with his 'America First' agenda, the consequences could be severe.
He took the occasion to drive home the point that his actions are to protect America's "sovereignty" and make the world "respect" its authority.
After Colombia agreed to the unrestricted acceptance of "all illegal aliens", the White House in a statement said, "Today's events make clear to the world that America is respected again."
"President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation's sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States.," the statement added.
In the middle of the whole economic warfare, Mr Trump even went ahead and shared a photo of himself on Truth Social, where he is seen wearing a fedora hat alongside a sign that read "FAFO." The acronym is widely associated with the phrase "F*** around, find out", which is often used as a warning that one's actions will have consequences.
This is awesome https://t.co/WeWUeF17Gm
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2025
Changing Global Relations
Even after backing down, Mr Petro made sure to tell Donald Trump that he didn't like him or his policies on migration. In a lengthy response on X, he said Mr Trump would "wipe out the human species because of greed" and accused the US president of considering Colombians an "inferior race."
He went on to describe himself as "stubborn" and said that while Mr Trump could try to "carry out a coup" with "economic strength and arrogance" he would fight back.
Every year, thousands of migrants from around the world enter the US after travelling up through Colombia across the Darien Gap - a key choke point just north of the Panama-Colombia border. The retaliatory measures by the US will no doubt make it harder for Mr Trump's administration to work with Colombia to stop this pattern.
President Petro alluded as much in his response, noting that if talks over managing migration through Darien were suspended, "illegal activities will increase".
"From today on, Colombia is open to the entire world, with open arms," he said in what could be viewed as a veiled threat of more undocumented migrants on the way.
Apart from tariff threats to Columbia, the US is also witnessing diplomatic fallout from other Latin American nations. While Mexico has raised concerns about the use of military planes for deportations, Brazil has expressed worries over the treatment of deported migrants, some of whom were reportedly handcuffed during the flight out of the US.
Trade Threats Can Backfire
If Mr Trump goes ahead with his tariff threats, his sanctions could lead to higher prices for US consumers. The US imports about 27 per cent of its coffee from Colombia worth nearly $2bn, according to the US Department of Agriculture. It also imports other goods like bananas, crude oil, avocados and flowers.
Importers could shift to other sources to avoid this, which would hit Colombian producers by reducing a key market, adding strain to an already fragile global trade environment.